Lark

Great service (even down to the little bread crumb scraper!) and really good food. The worst part was deciding what to order because everything sounded so good. The potato and caviar starter is a must.

Regular date night!
We love to come here for an early dinner with the kiddo or a date night.
They moved into a larger building with dining upstairs and down. The food is Seasonal and made with care. Some of my favorite plates over the years have come from Lark. Asparagus with cured egg yolk has always stood out as a fav spring time dish. The honey comb on the cheese plate is awesome!
I look forward to what the chef will add this year that is new and exciting from the usual fare.
Great meal! Why not make it a date?!

I read the other reviews and thought they were just mean. What can you expect for a wonderful setting and very good food in the middle of a metropolitan city? Good lord, they pay 15. wages, sick days plus wagyu is expensive. My family (4 children over 30) loves Lark. Their happy hour has lots of fun appetizers that are well priced. Bravo Lark. Your atmosphere, location, staff and food are great.

We enjoyed dinner here very much. We were lucky to get a table for two without reservation on Saturday at 6:30pm; the restaurant filled up immediately afterwards. Despite being busy, service was quick and efficient — we had drinks, appetizers, and meal, and still got out at 7:30 for a concert (no time for dessert, alas).
The bread was very well-​made (dense crumb, thick crust) and filling, and came with a tasty salted butter. The cheese portion was tiny and ok, but not worth the price. We had the Precursory Cocktails, which were strong and well-​made but not quite our flavor. However, the rest of the meal — salad, steak, pasta — was all very delicious and nicely plated. The pasta portion seemed slightly small, but we were both full when the meal was over.
The menu was very diverse. We’ll definitely go back again sometime to try more of it, when we can take more time and enjoy dessert afterwards. It was a great choice for an evening meal before a performance.

Incredibly delicious food created with care and creativity. Every course knocked our socks off. The wine list is very good too and compliments the menu beautifully. Our server was attentive and casual and very on top of things. I highly recommend Lark.

I’m going to write a little longer review than usual because I note that while there are a lot of 5 star reviews there are also some customers who have really disliked the prices, the portions, the service and even the cooking. The only aspect of the restaurant that’s escaped scorn from some has been the venue – everyone seems to agree that it’s an attractive restaurant.
Charmaine and I enjoyed our meal. The bill, with tax and two glasses of a nice Oregon Pinot came to 137.54. This is a lot of money and if you don’t regularly eat in restaurants with similar pricing, it can be a shock. But I’d also say for the kind of restaurant this is, the price is reasonable. Not cheap, but fair. Our recent bill at Otium, the new LA restaurant opened by the former chef de cuisine at The French Laundry, was about $ 50 higher, for example. And I thought the pricing at Otium was fair, as well – the physical plant, for one thing, must have cost millions. Someone has to pay for this or the restaurant won’t survive.
And yes, the portions at Lark aren’t large, which is typical of high-​end restaurants of this kind. This isn’t grub for college kids. Most customers aren’t coming to the restaurant simply because they’re hungry. They’re coming for a culinary experience. Presenting that experience isn’t cheap. There are plenty of restaurants in Seattle and elsewhere that serve larger portions of good food for a lot less. But the food really isn’t at the same level, and getting it on the table at these other less expensive restaurants also costs the restaurant’s management a lot less.
About the service: our wait-​person, Joan, carefully explained each dish, but didn’t pamper us. When we left she thanked us briefly, but wasn’t effusive. Does this mean she was rude? Not to me. It means that she had the usual number of tables to cover. I think some who wrote nasty reviews felt that at these prices, they deserved special attention. But please consider that every other customer is paying those same prices and wants prompt service as well.
I think the right way to view eating at a restaurant at this level if it’s not a regular experience is that it’ll take awhile – a couple of years of occasional visits to such restaurants or something like that – before your palette will really benefit. It’s kind of like not having a lot of experience with wines and then paying a couple of hundred dollars for a good French burgundy – at first, you won’t get the benefit because you won’t experience the difference between that bottle and, say, a13 dollar bottle of California wine. A 13 dollar bottle of a Trader Joe’s Reserve is a very nice bottle of wine. The difference between that and the $ 200 burgundy isn’t going to be immediately apparent. It’ll take time and a determination to educate your palette before you’ll see the difference.
Is it worth it to go through this? For some, yes. For others, probably not. But whether it is or it isn’t, I think the snarky 1 star reviews I’ve read aren’t justified. You can get a great dinner for two at Houston’s for around $ 70, and some of LA’s taco trucks will fill up two persons with some really great food for $ 25 – 30 dollars. So, there are lots of choices. And no reason to get mad if the benefits of a meal at Lark aren’t immediately apparent.

What is not to like about this restaurant? Very diverse menu, everything is expertly prepared, the service is good but not intrusive.
I had the Octopus– came with Bomba Rice (don’t ask me what that is) in this red sauce that had a hint of smoke and heat. Delicious.
Someone else had the Stuffed Squid, beautiful and delicious.
And one other person had the Ricotta and chard cannelloni with braised goat. Man, have you had goat? I did and it was great!
We all shared some starters that were out of this world.
Take me back soon… please?

Tried Lark last night and have to say it didn’t really live up to the hype. Granted I had created most of that hype myself so it’s not really their fault, but when you see the «$$$’ under a restaurant’s name, certain expectations mount.
First, the good:
Atmosphere is on point. They’ve got these dangly white bulbs over the dining room that form a sort of constellation pattern and, paired with a nice bottle of wine, make things go all romantic like. Definitely a good spot to bring a date if you want to feel a bit of love in the air.
Service is great, too. Our sever was laid back but professional, brought everything out at the right time, and generally just made it a great experience.
Now for the meh:
The food just isn’t that great. I’m not saying it’s not good, let me be clear. It’s just that it doesn’t surpass good. And judging by the price tag, it’s sort of obligated to.
We started with the burrata and wagyu steak tartar and I was super excited when our sever put them down on the table because they both looked awesome. Lark does presentation pretty well, but that’s sort of where it stops.
Both the burrata and the tartar tasted like someone had dumped in the entire salt shaker. The flavor of both dishes was completely drowned out by the salt.
We also got the wild mushrooms, or half wild. These were probably my favorite, some great flavors, but again — salt. Way too salty and I’m someone who enjoys his salt.
The foie gras was our last dish and I should preface this by saying that, inhumane practices and ethics aside, foie is one of my favorite things to eat. It’s like meat candy and it’s just never not good… except this time.
It was advertised as seared but I didn’t really see any evidence of that, it was also kind of cold and didn’t have that smooth, creamy texture I usually associate with foie.
So if you’ve made it this far, you’ve been warned. If you’ve got money to blow and just want to try a nice place, Lark is worth a shot. But if you’d like to see a bit more of a flavor return on your financial investment, maybe pass this one up and head over to Bar Melusine up the street.
Go easy on the salt, Lark.

Was visiting from San Francisco, my first time in Seattle. A friend recommended Lark. I don’t leave many reviews but they earned this one. Insane food. Insane service. I was blown away.
Mushrooms app — do it. The best I’ve had. Served in a variety of different types. Simple and delicious.
Mussels — if you order just one thing, this is it. They’re huge and dissolve in your mouth. Served in house made broth infused with chorizo. I love mussels but I’m scared now I’ll never be satisfied after these…
Gnocchi — can’t say I’m a huge gnocchi fan. Well I wasn’t until this dinner. It’s just simply perfect and light.
Service was most knowledgable. She knew everything down to the crazy details about where every product and herb was grown. She was humble and genuine. I’ll eat here every time I visit.

I guess if you are a super demanding bitchy person Lark may not be for you or perhaps you are quite dainty and want your food served to you on a silver platter. I went rustic and went for the big game as I wanted to go primal and taste the fresh kill. Elk, Venison, hell I will eat Bambi! Lark rocked!

My girlfriend and I came here at 9:30 on Valentine’s Day for a light, after-​ballet supper. We were presented with a massive prix fix special Valentine’s Day menu. Before I continue, let me state that while the downstairs was nearly full, where we were seated upstairs was nearly empty (it was pretty late). When our order was taken we asked to split a single order of the prix fix menu. We were told that we couldn’t do that, but could order a la carte or off the bar menu. After perusing that, we decided to stick to our original plan, sans dessert. After ordering the three items we wanted, our waitress sneered and said disdainfully, «Nice loophole.»
It was a good thing the food was amazing. To her credit, our waitress warmed up as our supper progressed and I ended up ordering dessert. The four items came to $ 10 more than just one prix fix order, so we basically got what we wanted in the end.

It was ok but not awesome. Staff wasn’t well trained and some of the dishes seemed trying to hard. Example: the chocolate panna cotta with marshmallows was obviously a s’mores riff. But way too much liquid smoke. Also, all of the tables for two were lined up against a busy hallway making for a less-​than-​romantic ambiance. Not horrible. But I wouldn’t likely return.

Beautiful setting and ambience! Went here with a couple girlfriends to celebrate our holiday dinner. To my surprise after specifically booking the restaurant (booth seat, away from the restrooms or main walkway) we got seated at the worst table. Not only was it not a preferred booth but we were right in front of the door and somehow felt in the way of passing servers and customers. What a disappointment! It was freezing that night.
So we had an amazing server that was very attentive to filling our water and checking up on us. Onto the food side of this review, I ordered the seasonal fish which was a black cod (flavorful and well done, can’t complain too much). As for my other friends, one ordered the hanger steak (turned out to be cold as if it was made first while waiting for the other entrees to finish cooking) and the other had the muscovy duck breast which lacked flavor.
I wouldn’t go back for the food necessarily but the ambience is nice and the waiter did a great job making sure we were well taken care of (despite the fact we were too hesitant to announce such little satisfaction with our meals).
Tip of the night: Order the chocolate cake

My husband & I just had our anniversary dinner here, and were stunned by the deliciousness of the food. We had the best steak I’ve ever tasted (Wagyu hanger steak, with greens & caramelized onion & a fascinating little potato confection), some lovely tender elk with mushrooms, a little pot of mashed potatoes with all the butter you could possibly blend in without it being too much, and a barely sweet chocolate panna cotta with dollops of toasted marshmallow and a drizzle of smoke-​flavored savory sauce which made me suddenly recognize they had made haute s’mores. Highly recommended! Plates are small, which means you can try and share several things, although not as many as you’ll want to. We had a 3-​cheese plate with their homemade crackers, a salad, two entrees, two sides, and two desserts, and that was exactly the right amount to share.

Accidentally stumbled upon Lark while looking for Bitter/​Raw. The interior was very pretty and elegant, we both felt out of place because we were dressed like we were going running. Service was really mellow and professional. We ordered two lark fashioned, wagyu beef tartare, dozen chef choice oysters, marinated bay scallop, and the seared octopus to share. Everything was really good but the seared octopus really stole the show. Octopus was kind of chewy but tender at the same time haha. I had a good time here so I have no complaints. My friend and I already planned to come back to try some other dishes.

I wanted to LOVE Lark. The space is spectacular, in a new area of Capitol Hill overflowing with new restaurants. They have a raw bar upstairs and a sandwich shop next door. The bar is really nice as well. Service was friendly and helpful. The wine list is terrific and we had a lovely Priorat from Spain.
The 3 stars is because I expected a bit more from the food. I love the small plates concept and wanted to try everything on the menu! The only dish that really stood out though was the octopus paella. That was super flavorful and delicious. However, the other dishes I thought lacked some punch. We had the pierogis, Hamachi crudo, and the mussels. All were solid but not the best I’ve had especially the mussels and crudo. Bread service is excellent though.
I would probably return due to the amazing ambience and solid food, but I do think there are many other small plate restaurants in Seattle with better food.

I’m on the fence… Been holding off on writing my review. Like the new location, ability to make reservation and the space. Parking wasn’t too challenging on a Tuesday night.
The food was ok, but I didn’t care for the paella style octopus. Felt like the octopus was over cooked and too chewy. Farro dish was a-​ok but I’ve never had a bad Farro dish. Other dishes didn’t wow me all that much. Steak was standard but the fried cheesy potato was the one thing that stood out all evening. Delicious and different. Thumbs up.
Service was lacking. She was nice and pleasant, but kept forgetting stuff and wasn’t very attentive. Had to ask for the wine list twice and had to remind her about our second wine order cause it never came.
Probably won’t rush back any time soon.

I came here on a Sunday night with a couple of friends. We made reservations on Open-​table. My friend specifically written for a table away from the bathroom and the front door. Long behold, we get the table closest to the front door. I guess they don’t read the comment section of Open-​table.
For Appetizers, we got the Penn Cove mussels to share. It was pretty good, the flavors were there (bacon, apple cider, cream and thyme) and I like how it came in a cute black pot.
For my entrée, I got the Muscovy duck breast. I thought the dish was okay. I was not thrilled of my wild rice polenta. I would have been happier if it came with real polenta. It had just a weird taste that did not fit with the dish in my opinion.
My friends got the hanger steak and the fish of the day entrees. I liked both of the entrees better than mine. Unfortunately, the hanger steak dish came to our table lukewarm, borderline cold. That was disappointing.
For dessert we got the Theo dark chocolate panna cotta. OMG this dish was amazing, best thing we ate all night. It was smooth, creamy, and not too sweet. One of the best desserts I tried in a long time.
Overall, service was pretty good. Our waiter was very attentive and waters were always filled. The ambiance here is really nice as well. It is a great place for a special occasion or date.

We like the new place! Service was professional and mellow vibe to it. Food was close to excellent, appetizers were fantastic. Loved the steak. We were a party of 8 and they took could care of us. A winner in Seattle.

Convenient Coat check, best pinot noir I’ve EVER had, my duck confit was crispy yummy yummy, oysters with champagne vinaigrette (divine), and you ruined my husband for any other dessert other than quince.
We’ve never had an equal meal, it was a great birthday treat.
Sure it was $ 300, but it was damn good money well spent. We’ll talk about that meal forever.

Fancy setting — hanging white lights, wall lined with wine, open view of chefs cooking, comfy velvet booth seats
We were hungry and here to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The 3 of us shared:
— A dozen fresh oysters — chef’s choice
— seared foie gras
— rosti potatoes
— duck confit
— squid ink tagliatelle
All of the dishes were spectacular — particularly the seared foie gras. never had it before, it was unique in flavor and felt like it could’ve just melted in my mouth. Portions were small and plates were pricey — we were still hungry and decided to go next door (Soi) and capped off the night with our second dinner!

It’s great. Go there now.
Pros:
Cool inside (shelves! dangly lights!), really nice host people/​staff. They even gave us a little free dessert because they thought we had to wait little between plates (we didn’t notice, but wasn’t that super nice? Yes, yes it was).
Cons:
sorta none?
Get:
the «crispy porchetta something something» from the starter menu. It’s a blast of tiny meat goodness. For a cocktail, try the Bön Vivant (a gin thing).
Pro tip:
the classic «you can forgo a reservation if you go a little-​ish and sit at/​near the bar». Grab a seat facing at the windows facing out to the sidewalk and people watch.

Five stars for amazing service!!! The food was very well prepared. The Wagyu was very good, our friends liked the duck confit The gnocchi was good, not something I would order again. The Foie gras was seared and served warm. I have never had and wanted to try, nah not my fave, I bet it’s better cold. I feel like for the price the food should have been even more amazing than it really was. Having eaten in a couple fine dining establishments I had higher expectations coming here. We ordered three starters of Foie Gras, three, one ounce portions of cheese at $ 15, and the truffle honey roasted carrots.
The gnocchi I ordered was just good at best. The texture was lovely but the sauce with it was a vinaigrette with maybe some butter to cut the acid. It lacked reduction and I felt the gnocchi was just swimming and splashing in it.
The Wagyu was amazing, the flavor was so good and so tender you could cut with a fork. For the $ 32 price I would have hoped for more than what looked like four or five ounces.
Our friends had the confit and lasagna with chicken, they both had never had anything like it and sis enjoy their plates.
The Malted Ice Cream with hazelnut cookies and magic shell chocolate was very good.
Our service was impeccable but the food was nothing that I would swoon over. It’s too bad since we had come here on recommendation since Crush had closed a day before we were supposed to dine there.
If I ever return, it will probably be to try the caviar.

We met friends here after a wedding (they had made a reservation for us – first Lark had said no room, but then were nice enough to call them back when they were able to make space!!!).
The décor is simple, but elegant. Lighting is low at night, but during the day I’d imagine there would be better light at brunch. Bathrooms are clean.
Cocktails are GREAT and there is a large variety to choose form. Really enjoyed the Old Fashioned and some other whiskey cocktails.
We had fresh local oysters and tare-​tare to start — both excellent. My husband had octopus as a main and I had pork belly — both were amazing.
We were so full we skipped desert, but all six of us in the party were quite happy!

It’s a beautiful space in an area that doesn’t fit with the elegance of the space. It has three different eating areas: the main dining room, the mezzanine upstairs and the raw bar. Each of them has the same menu and so you can order from the full menu. There weren’t any spaces in the main room available when we walked in on a Saturday night, but we were able to get seated immediately in the mezzanine.
We ordered a variety of appetizers, but unfortunately, I don’t remember all of them. We got the sunchoke chips, which were delicious. The chickpea soup was also delicious although it does come out green which is a bit strange. We also ordered the sugar snap peas which were underwhelming. I would not recommend.
For our mains, we got the salmon and the halibut, which was the fish of the day. I enjoyed my halibut, but my husband thought his salmon was just alright. The sides on the halibut were particularly delicious. It’s beautifully plated, but doesn’t have a ton of the sides, which was disappointing.
Overall, we thought it was a delicious introduction to the food of Seattle and would recommend it to others.

I had a fantastic dinner at Lark. The new space is beautiful, the bartenders are awesome, the food is great, and the drink prices are reasonable. I had a reservation for a table but I ended up eating at the bar with Chris, who was very adept at making tasty Old Fashions. I started off with a half dozen west coast oysters which were great as usual. Then I moved on to their trotter appetizer and wow this really stole the show, this was outstanding and I would have eaten another 3 or 4 if given to me. For my entrée I went with the octopus a la plancha with came with some spicy rice. Again very good, this seems like the northwest’s version of shrimp and grits in the south. Everything was great, came back again during my trip and sat at the bar upstairs this time and did the burrata which was awesome. If you are in the area check this place out.

I was a huge fan of Lark at the old location and this is my first time at the new location. The service is still the same attention to detail as the old location. The environment is definitely more intimate than the old location.
The food overall is perfectly executed except for my main dish. It definitely a place where you should order appetizer, main dish, and dessert otherwise you’ll leave hungry.
We had the seared foie gras and waygu beef tar tar. Both were delicious. For the main course we had charred octopus and i ordered the special for the night, black rock fish. The octopus was perfect, tender and not chewy. The fish i had was kind of meh. It came with steamed cabbage and it was just kind of bland and the fish was over cooked. Their dessert is amazing though. Definitely get the Coconut Sorbet and the Chocolate Madeleines were great as well.
Overall the service was great, majority of the food was excellent. If my fish dish was more exciting I might have given this place a 5 star.

One of the best date nights I’ve ever had! We got to Lark slightly before our reservation at 7:30pm, but we’re told we could wait at the bar while our table was readied. My bf and I got some drinks, him a Kilt Lifter and myself one of the house cocktails, the La Perla with Mezcal. We made a friend with one of the other patrons at the bar and we had some laughs over the hilarity of Valentines Day. We were celebrating our annual Un-​Valentines Day dinner tonight, haha. Also, my Bf got a Moscow Mule made with local Rachael’s ginger beer… absolutely phenomenal, you must try it.
We then were taken over to our table shortly after and the nice gentleman actually carried our drinks over for us. It was a good spot and I liked the partition in the middle separating us from the front portion of tables because it made it feel a little more private. We got water immediately and then were handed menus and Jillian our server explained some menu changes & specials.
We ordered some of the bread with butter and smoked lard, wow, yes I ate lard and thoroughly enjoyed it and gladly paid for it. We also got an order of burrata (yummy fresh mozzarella & croutons) and agnolotti pasta with dates & brown butter as appetizers. My bf got the St Helens burger with sun choke chips as his main and he almost fell over due to how rich & delicious it was. I had a bite and completely agreed with him. I got the pork belly with parsnips and it was super yum. We also got a delicious coconut & pineapple sorbet for dessert that was light and perfect to cap off our meal.
Service was quick & very attentive by everyone in the restaurant, not just by our server. The space is gorgeous here and I love all of the different nooks with different restaurants within (Bitter Raw bar upstairs, Lark at ground level, and Slab sandwiches for lunch). PS, to find the toilets, go towards the back of Lark and to the left & then follow the restroom sign on the glass door. Once past the door, turn left and then proceed down the stairs. The restrooms are straight ahead once you get to the bottom and just follow the code to open the door from the instructions there. I loved the ambience, food and people here and I’ll be coming back for sure for a special night out. It is pricey here but completely worth it as a treat.

Arrived with a group of 7 on a busy Wednesday to an attractive and warm dining room… Dimly lit and filled with youngish folk. I had been looking fwd to trying Lark since noticing the high star count on Unilocal.This is a rare occasion where the Unilocal consensus is a complete fallacy…
First course was advertised as figs in a wine reduction with Salami… What arrived? Three clove infused Maraschino Cherries and 6 slices of Salami… Nasty nasty nasty!!! WTF?! When I asked the server who only showed up to clear the plates, if the kitchen ran out of figs. She simply shrugged «sorry». Booooo! The bait and switch is a slimy tactic :(And maraschino cherries are for Shirley Temples, not charcuterie…
This place has committed a cardinal sin in dining… If you run out of the core ingredients of a dish… Stop serving it! Or at least inform your customers that you are not serving what they ordered! Just hoping people do not notice is a shitty move and an insult! … You guys should be ashamed of yourselves trying to pass off the dregs of your service bar’s garnish station as a premium offering… Furthermore, When you are caught pulling this kind of charade, perhaps you should attempt to fix it. By shrugging it off you sanction this behavior as not only acceptable but something to be expected!!! Shut your doors and give up, as you have ceased to operate as a fine dining establishment.
A member of my party mentioned. Well at least the bread is good… And the waitress then informs us that they ran out of bread. No, I am not kidding.
The duck confit was a meager portion from an anemic bird… Would have been a sufficient appetizer at a respectable restaurant.
The Tart Tartin was simple in preparation… A rustic sheet cake of phyllo dough topped with 2 slivers of pear… With a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream. The caramelized sugar on the phyllo dough was burnt giving an acrid aftertaste… An apropos ending to a thoroughly disappointing meal… It’s the next morning and I still have that bad taste in my mouth.
Outside the restaurant members of my party mentioned that it is rare to leave a restaurant with both an empty stomach and wallet…
From this place’s reviews it seems that Lark was once a place of distinction for a refined palate. Whether the kitchen suffers from absent chef syndrome or it was the barback’s turn to play sous chef. Or tonight was just a one off… It is apparent that her best days are behind her…
A lark is something done just for fun… An amusing adventure… This place is a misnomer and is little more than a cash register masquerading as an eatery. There are some great restaurants in town, I suggest eating at one of those instead…